Senior suspected of killing motorcyclist in DUI crash east of Temecula

A man suspected of driving under the influence on Highway 79 in Aguanga allegedly slammed into the rear of a motorcycle, ejecting the rider onto the roadway and inflicting fatal injuries, authorities said today.  

The suspect, a 74-year-old man from Aguanga, was arrested Thursday on suspicion of gross vehicular manslaughter and DUI resulting in great bodily injury for causing the collision. He is being held in lieu of $75,000 bail at the Byrd Detention Center in Murrieta.

California Highway Patrol Officer Mike Lassig said that just after 6 p.m. Thursday, the suspect was headed southbound on Highway 79 in his 2013 Hyundai Accent at an unconfirmed speed, approaching another 74-year-old Aguanga man, whose name wasn't immediately released, riding his Harley-Davidson motorcycle southbound toward the intersection of the 79 and state Route 371. 

"For reasons which are under investigation, [the suspect] allowed the front of his Hyundai to collide into the rear of the Harley,'' Lassig said. "The impact caused the motorcycle rider to get ejected off the motorcycle and come to rest on the side of Route 79."

The motorcycle then rolled into a Toyota Highlander driven by a 51-year-old La Quinta woman, waiting at a stop sign to turn at the intersection, according to Lassig. The bike hit the rear of the SUV, causing unspecified damage.

The woman, whose identity wasn't disclosed, was not hurt.

Riverside County Fire Department paramedics reached the location a short time later and pronounced the motorcyclist dead at the scene.

CHP officers questioned the 74-year-old and determined he was intoxicated, Lassig alleged. The suspect, who wasn't injured in the collision, was taken into custody without incident.

Background information on him was unavailable.